What are you listening 2 now?

[Irons]

A glorious Fifth.  The Tuba Concerto is nice to hear every few years and reminds me why so few exist.  The other works are nice enough.

I have not heard a better 5th. A jewel in the crown of a great set.

[vandermolen]

I have not heard a better 5th. A jewel in the crown of a great set.

+1 (also arguably true of symphonies 2,3 and 8 in that fine set)

NP
Bliss: PC

[aligreto]

JS Bach: Sonata No. 4 for Violin and Harpsichord BWV 1017 [Kuijken/Leonhardt]

[aligreto]

Excellent review, Fergus. Moonlighting at MusicWeb would not be beyond you.

Thank you Lol. You make me blush. 
However, I hold neither my literary nor my critique skills in that high regard myself, to be honest.
I merely hope that I was able to communicate how impressed I was with this old warhorse. 

[Papy Oli]

Good morning all,

Stravinsky - Oedipus Rex

[vers la flamme]

Alban Berg: Wozzeck. Claudio Abbado, Vienna Philharmonic, etc

Haven't heard this in ages. It sounds awesome.

[Lisztianwagner]

Carl Nielsen
Wind Quintet

[Lisztianwagner]

Alban Berg: Wozzeck. Claudio Abbado, Vienna Philharmonic, etc

Haven't heard this in ages. It sounds awesome.

it is gorgeous indeed, one of the best recordings of Wozzeck in my opinion.

[Harry]

Franz Berwald.

The Complete String Quartets, No.1-3.

The Yggdrasil Quartet.

The performances are first rate, and the sound too. Thoughtful with well judged tempos, musically phrased, absolutely full of rhythmic life, and a very refined tonal blend. Its simply cultured and intelligent playing.
These SQ are really top level in my view.

[aligreto]

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 24 Op. 78 [Fischer]

[Que]

   

[Harry]

Johann Sebastian Bach.

Goldberg Variations.

Masaaki Suzuki plays on a Harpsichord by Willem Kroesbergen, Utrecht 1982, after Ruckers, 8'8'4.

First of all this is a fine Harpsichord, its sparkling and very detailed. I prefer this interpretation to the one by Gustav Leonhardt, not that his is a bad performance far from it, I have in my collection, but I simply get more vibes from Suzuki. State of the Art recording.

[aligreto]

Arnold: Symphony No. 2 [Penny]





I am tending to like Arnold's musical language in general. I find it to be both appealing and engaging.

The opening movement is very lyrical and light in tone. There is a sense of inventive orchestration here. There are interesting side bars attached to the main vista which, in itself, is broad and expansive.
The second movement is much more menacing in the atmosphere department. The orchestration, again, plays a big part in the creation of the relevant tone.
The tone of the opening of the slow movement is somewhat stark and bleak; even menacing, in a disconcerting way. There is a wonderful atmosphere prevailing here in this movement.
The final movement is a total and wonderful contrast to the preceding slow movement. It reverts to the  tone and atmosphere of the opening movement. It moves along with great forward momentum and it is well driven. It concludes with a satisfactory and definitive resolution.

[Todd]

The third disc in Kosuge's Four Elements series.  It's a corker.  The disc opens with small pieces from three French baroque composers - Daquin, Couperin, and Rameau - all played at the highest level, then moves on to the highlight of the disc, Kalavinka by Akira Nishimura.  A piece from 2006, it's another of those out of nowhere (for me) contemporary pieces that just wows.  A second recording of LvB's 31/2 follows, and it is predictably good, and then three Debussy preludes lead up to Janacek's In The Mists, which receives a tense, impassioned reading.  This recording makes me hope Kosuge goes back and records more from every composer here.

[VonStupp]

Charles Koechlin
Four Poems of Edmond Haraucourt, op. 7
Poems of Autumn, op. 13
Three Melodies, op. 17
Two Poems of André Chénier, op. 23
Six Melodies on the Poems of Albert Samain, op. 31

Gabriel Fauré
Mélisande's Song (orch. Koechlin)

Juliane Banse, soprano
SWR Radio SO Stuttgart - Heinz Holliger

MI put me on to this collection. Giving the songs an initial listen for this morning.

VS

[Harry]

Georg Heinrich Backofen.

Concertos for Clarinet & Orchestra.

Opus 3 in B flat major.
Opus 16 in E flat major.
Opus 24 in E flat major.

Dieter Klöcker, Clarinet.
SWR Rundfunkorchester Kaiserslautern, Johannes Moesus.

Pleasant concertos, nothing very special, but entertaining nevertheless. A genius of the second rank, which we need also to understand what lives in the shadow of the greats. Minor masters are by no way copyists, epigones or eclectics and what not, they are entities who deserve a place in the ranks of history to remember. Dieter Klöcker is always a pleasure to listen to and Backofen composed fine music for the clarinet.. Performances are good, and is the sound.

[Spotted Horses]

Isabelle Faust, Bach, Partita #2 for Violin Unaccompanied



I continue to enjoy these recordings. Generally lithe performance, and the enormous Chaconne takes on a subtle dance character.

[Maestro267]

Maxwell Davies: Symphony No. 6
Royal PO/Maxwell Davies

[aligreto]

Mahler: Das Lied Von Der Erde [Boulez]





This presentation is vibrant and ardent from the opening bars. The music is approached throughout in a mildly animated but not overly aggressive way. There is also a fine sensitivity to the approach, pacing and delivery of both the orchestral and vocal music. Boulez has a fine grip on everything but he still lets the music flow freely.
I must, however, confess that I did soon tire of the insistence and over earnest voice of the tenor, Schade. His voice is lyrical but I do not find it to be appealing here to my ear.
Urmana's voice was more amenable to me but I sometimes tired of her excessive vibrato in places. However, I did enjoy her rendition of "Der Trunkene im Frühling" and her "Der Abschied" is also very impressive. I do like Boulez's interpretation of this movement; it is a fine version.
This was a fine presentation overall. The issue of the vocalists is purely a subjective one and it does not remove any of my admiration for what Boulez has done with this work. The vocalist issues merely somewhat reduce my personal enjoyment of this particular performance.

[SonicMan46]

Couperin, Francois (1668-1733) - Concerts Royaux w/ Christopher Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques - although this 'chamber music' has been recored numerous times and with a variety of instrument combinations, my only other version is w/ Jed Wentz in the Couperin box below. In this new acquisition of my collection, Rousset is on harpsichord w/ 4 other performers (violin, viola da gamba, flute, &  oboe); unfortunately nothing is stated in the booklet about the instruments used?  The recording is more slowly paced than Wentz but is up front w/ good sound (done in 2015); several reviews attached for those interested.  Any favorites in this music in lieu of the many made over the decades?  Dave